


A Deal for Two

by felicitous



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Detectives, Angst, Blow Jobs, Branding, Denial of Feelings, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-06-21
Packaged: 2019-03-23 06:35:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13781808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/felicitous/pseuds/felicitous
Summary: Munehisa Iwai is a detective who has been given the arduous task of catching the Phantom Thieves. But when one of them approaches him with an offer of working together, he finds it almost impossible to turn down.





	1. Chapter 1

Iwai was so done with this bullshit. Another calling card, and another sudden confession, but still no sign of the so-called ‘Phantom Thieves’. He was beginning to think that the entire universe was playing some kind of cosmic joke on him and they didn’t even exist. They were instead like a lie you tell your kids to get them to behave. Send a crook a calling card and scare them straight; thus far it as pretty effective if that was the case.

He’d applaud them if he didn’t have his boss breathing down his neck and snapping every other second about how they were a danger to society and needed to be caught. Iwai would be lying if he said he understood it, but he liked to stay out of the politics of his job. He caught assholes and put them where they belonged; Iwai liked to keep things simple. The Phantom Thieves were anything but simple.

Iwai dropped down into his desk chair  and pressed his fingers into his temples. It was at times like this that he really missed smoking. He reached into his top drawer and pulled out of the many suckers he kept there for times like this. With deft fingers, he unwrapped it quickly and popped it into his mouth. Not only did it give his mouth something to do, it gave him a needed burst of sugar. When had he eaten last? Breakfast? Kaoru would kill him if he found out so he would have to grab something before he headed home. Before that though, he needed to finish his notes on this latest ‘change of heart’.

The Phantom Thieves last victim has been a drug dealer who’d recently rose to power. Just like Kaneshiro, they’d had nothing on him until he suddenly showed up on their doorstep to confess his crimes. They’d know it was coming though. The city had been littered with calling card in the shape of pamphlets littering the city. Unfortunately, they hadn’t gotten to the target first. As always they were three steps behind the heart thieves and they had done their deed without leaving a trace. It really pissed him off. 

As irritation boiled up inside him, he realized he wasn’t going to get anything productive done tonight. He could always file his report in the morning, it’s not like it had any vital information in it. He still knew jack squat about how the Phantom Thieves operated. So instead of wasting his time, sitting at his desk and doing nothing, Iwai decided that it was time for dinner.

Considering how his day had been, he figured it was only fitting that he went to his favorite restaurant. Good curry and a hot cup of coffee to go with it was exactly what he needed right now. Plus the old guy who ran the shop wasn’t much of a conversationalist so he never had to worry about being bothered too much. It was a place he could unwind.

LeBlanc was as quiet as always, completely devoid of any other customers. There was only a small black and white cat asleep on the stairs. Sojiro wasn’t at the front counter, meaning he was probably back in the kitchen areas. From the smell of things, Iwia assumed that he was prepping the next days curry.

He took his seat at the bar, and knocked against the wood, just in case the sound of the door hadn’t been enough. To his surprised it wasn’t Sojiro who peaked out at him. Instead it a was young man with dark fluffy hair, giant glasses, and wide gray eyes. He glanced around nervously and bit his lip before moving out into the serving area, wiping his hands on his apron. 

“Oh, hi. Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in. I do hope you haven’t been waiting to long,” the boy apologized quickly, his voice soft and nervous.

Iwai gave him a small smile. “I just got here, you’re good. Where’s the old man at? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“Sojiro? Oh, he had to run to the store for a few things and asked that I keep an eye on the shop while he’s gone. I guess I’m not doing such a great job,” the boy laughed, running a hand through his wild mess of hair. Iwai wondered if it was soft, it looked like it.

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell if you won’t,” Iwai assured him. This kid had to be around the same age as Kaoru.

He got a relieved smile in response. “I’d definitely appreciate that. So, uh, what can I get you?”

“I’ll just take the combo, whatever coffee is you recommend with the curry is fine.”

“Coming right up!” The young man disappeared into the kitchen area for a moment before returning with a large plate of curry and rice. He set it in front of Iwai and then set out the silverware before turning his attention to the coffee. Iwai watched as he worked, grinding the beans and then carefully pouring the water over them, just as Sojiro always did. The kid was a good student it seemed.

Once it was ready, Iwai accepted the cup and took a careful sip, not wanting to burn himself on it. A rich, earthy flavor washed over his tongue. The coffee was bitter, but almost in the same sense that dark chocolate was. He quite liked it. “Which blend is this?”

“It’s a Sumatran blend. Sojiro actually let me pick the blend for today's mix and this one is my favorite, so I hope you like it.” the young man answered quickly.

“I certainly do,” Iwai set the cup down and held out his hand. “Munahisa Iwai.”

The young man took it and gave it a surprisingly firm shake. “Kurusu Akira, but you can just call me Akira. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Munehisa-san.”

“Just Iwai is fine, ‘Munehisa-san’ makes me feel older than I’d like to admit,” He chuckled as he pulled his hand back and started in on his dinner.

Akira watched him for a moment before wandering towards the other end of the counter. From where he sat, Iwai could just make out a stack of books. Ah, homework. He didn’t blame him though, it seemed like LeBlanc was always slow. It was part of what he liked about the place. The two of them sat there in silence, Akira doing his homework and Iwai eating. Every now and then he would feel the young man’s eyes on him and when he looked up their eyes would meet for a moment of strange intensity. Akira was always the first to look away, his brow furrowed and cheek flushed. Iwai quickly decided it was better to not ask and simply brushed it aside as simple curiosity on Akira’s part.

By the time he was finishing up his curry, the door gave a gentle ding behind him. Iwai saw Akira slink into the rest of the way into the kitchen, followed by the sound of running water and dishes. Raising an eyebrow, he turned to look at the door and see who came in. He saw Sojiro standing in the doorway, a bag of groceries in his arms and an amused smile on his lips. The two of them shared a nod in greeting before Sojiro made his way behind the counter.

Sojiro set the bag down in the kitchen, before walking over to where Iwai sat. “Been a while, I hope the service hasn’t been to terrible.”

“Nah, he takes after you, it seems. In both coffee and service,” Iwai mused and Sojiro gave an amused grunt.

“Well, at least I’m doing something right then. How’s work been? It’s been a while since you stopped by.”

Iwai shrugged. “Busy as shit. The Chief wants us to catch the Phantom Thieves and well, if you’ve seen the news, I’m sure you can imagine how that's going.”  
“I don’t really pay too much attention to them,” Sojiro shrugged.

While the old man seemed indifferent to the idea of the Phantom Thieves, Akira certainly was not. The young man was peaking around the corner, his icy gray eyes locked on Iwai like daggers. That stare unnerved him, in ways that Iwai, never imagined possible. He faced down countless murderers and criminals, but there was something about those eyes that was maliciously taunting about them. Well, the world’s teens did certainly seem to be enamored with the Phantom Thieves and their brand of Justice, a feeling he could understand. Hell, there were times that even he couldn’t help but admire them. The justice system was broken as shit, and the bad guys got away far too often for his liking.

“I envy you there. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind letting them be, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do,” Iwai replied, forcing himself to look away from Akira’s gaze. “Well, thanks for the meal. I’ll try and be back soon, looks like you could use the business with a part-timer to pay for.”

Sojiro gave him a smile and collected the dishes from the counter. “Come back anytime, I’ll gladly take your money.”

Iwai rolled his eyes and waived his farewell as he left the warm coffee shop behind, thoughts of Akira’s intense gaze still rattling around in his head.


	2. Chapter 2

Another week with no leads. Iwai was ready to just tell the Chief where to shove it and start pursuing some real criminals for the time being. If they knew one thing about the Phantom Thieves it was that they always disappeared for a while after they ‘stole a heart’. They wouldn’t be hearing from them till their next calling card appeared. Working on the case till then was just a waste of everyone's time.

Iwai left the precinct utterly exhausted. While he hadn’t achieved much, he and the rest of the detectives assigned to the Phantom Thieves had been raked over the coals since the last confession. He was ready for his day off. 

He was climbing into his car when he noticed a familiar mop of midnight hair moving past. He paused for a moment, considering what to do before he sighed and called out to the high schooler. “Hey, Akira!”

Akira turned around, his gray eyes wide. He seemed to look around until he noticed Iwai. When he noticed him, he waved and smiled, before jogging over to where Iwai stood. When he stopped, the black cat from the store poked out of his backpack and meowed at him in annoyance. It was both very weird and very endearing. Akira hushed the cat before smiling at Iwai again. “It’s nice to see you again, though a little sooner than I expected.”

Iwai shrugged. “You should consider yourself lucky then. You need a ride home?”

“Sure, that’d be nice,” 

“Hop on in then,” Iwai said as he climbed inside and unlocked the passenger side door. Akira climbed inside carefully and set his bag on his lap before buckling up. “So, where to?” Iwai ask as he started the car and pulled out onto the road.

“LeBlanc,” Akira answered simply

“You work right after school?”

“Hm? No, Sojiro only lets me practice or watch the shop at night. I live there,”

“You what? You live in a coffee shop?”

Akira shrugged. “Technically, I live above it. Sojiro has a spare room up there that he lets me stay in.”

Iwai was admittedly horrified, his thoughts lingering on his own parents and his son’s birth parents. “Why do you live there?”

There was that dangerous flash in Akira’s eyes again, then he licked his lips and looked away. “I, uh, I have a criminal record. My parents thought it best I live somewhere else while on probation.”

“Oh,” silence fell between them as Iwai let that sink in. How could such a young, diligent seeming kid have a criminal record? “Mind if I asked what happened?”

“Of course not, Officer,” there was venom in the way he spit the title, “I’m sure you could pull up the case if you wanted. I was out walking, saw a woman being harrassed and pushed the man away from her. He his his head and I was the one charged with assault.”

Akira’s words were spoken calmly, but Iwai could practically feel the restrained anger that radiated off him. He didn’t blame him. “That’s pretty fucked up.”

The young man turned his head back and gave him a crooked smile. “Well, I guess it’s a pity the cops back home didn’t see things the way you did.”

“I’m special like that.”

“I’ll say,” Akira huffed in amusement. “I never would’ve pegged you for a cop.”

Iwai took that for a compliment. “That’s what makes me a good one. Back in the day, I used to work undercover investigating the yakuza.”

Akira laughed. “Now that I can see!”

The tension that had formed with Akira talking about his past faded away. They drove on, the conversation light. Mainly they focused on how Akira was adjusting to the area. Iwai was surprised to find that Akira attended the same school Kamoshida had taught at, but quickly brushed it aside as one of life's many little coincidences. It was a good school that wasn’t too far from where Akira was currently living. 

By the time they made it to Le Blanc, they had lapsed into a peaceful silence. Akira climbed out of the care slowly, carefully cradling the small cat, who he’d come to learn was named Morgana. Once he was out and had his pack back on, he leaned down to wave at Iwai. “Thanks for the ride. It was nice talking with you.”

Iwai pulled one of the business cards he kept with his contact info from his glovebox and held it out to Akira. “Here. If you ever need anything, even if its just to talk, feel free to give me a call.”

Akira took the card with a smile. “Thanks, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Good luck with your investigation, Iwai,” and with that simple goodbye, he disappeared down the narrow streets leading to LeBlanc. Iwai watched him go for a moment, before pulling back onto the road and heading home. 

However, Akira didn’t make it to Le Blanc, instead he took a detour to the house of one Sojiro Sakura. He slipped inside quietly and headed to the room of his favorite hacker. Futaba jumped when he opened the door, but when he held up the detectives card for her, she smiled at him. This was just too easy.


	3. Chapter 3

Iwai woke with a start, sitting up straight in his bed. Something wasn’t right. He wasn’t sure what, but he could feel it. There was an intensity hanging heavy in the air that didn’t belong in his home. As he retrieved his gun from his bedside table, the lamp beside it turned on, briefly blinding him. He squinted against the sudden brightness and yelled when a gloved hand slammed into his, pressing it down onto the table. Another one quickly pressed to his mouth and he found himself face to face with a masked man. The mask was in a carnival style, primarily white with black outlining the eyes like giant eyelashes. But what stuck him the most was the man's ferocious gray eyes and playful smile.

“Hush now, detective. We don’t want to wake your son, he’s sleeping so peacefully right now.”

At the mention of Kaoru, Iwai snarled, swinging his other arm up. His attacker pulled their hand from his mouth and caught his other hand just before it made contact with their face. Their eyes never left him though and their smile only got bigger.

“What the fuck do you want?” Iwai spat at them now that his mouth was free. He needed to find a way to get out if this. Maybe if he could distract them, get them talking he could get one of his hands free enough to land a hit or pull out his gun.

The man's shrugged. “To say hi, to talk, to see who the brilliant detective chasing after us is.”

It hit him like a punch in the stomach. “You’re the leader of the Phantom Thieves.”

He laughed. “I suppose you could say that, yes. But you can just call me Joker.”

“I don’t give a shit what you call yourself. If you’re here to kill me just get it over with. All I ask is that you leave my son out of this, he doesn’t know anything.”

Joker rolled his eyes. “And neither do you. Besides when have we been known to kill anyone?”

“So you’re saying you aren’t involved in the mental shutdowns?”

“God, no. I thought someone as clever as you would’ve been able to tell the difference between what us and whatever sloppy halfwit is responsible for that.”

He had a point, it just never added up with the Phantom Thieves apparent motives. They were about righting secret wrongs, and exposing the truth, not endangering innocents. But it seemed they didn’t know who was responsible for them either. He stored that bit of information away for later. “So if you’re not here to kill me, then what do you want for me?”

“Were you not listening to me before?” Joker scoffed, as if that insulted him, then he learned forwards so that his cold lips brushed against Iwai’s ear. “I’m here to negotiate.”

His words sent a shiver down Iwai’s spine, but it wasn’t them alone. It was also the way Joker smelled, he smelled like dark coffee and rich curry. A smell he knew well. Once again, Iwai felt like he had been punched in the gut and both of his hands went limp. He should have known the moment he saw those stormy gray eyes. He breathed out the young man's name like it was a prayer, “Akira.”

Akira pulled back slowly, with a giant smile and bright, playful eyes. “Damn, you’re good.” 

He pulled his gloved hands away from Iwai’s wrists, and slowly dragged them up the older mans arms, leaving fire in their wake. His hands came to a stop on Iwai’s bare chest, and he slowly moved onto the bed, his slender legs straddling his hips.

Iwai swallowed back the sudden lump in his throat. He couldn’t remember the last time someone touched him like this and the knowledge that it was the very criminal he was supposed to be chasing only made it worse. “Is this what you call negotiating?”

That earned him a smile from Akira. “I’ve found that people are easiest to work with when they feel vulnerable.”

“Fair enough,” Iwai left his gun on the dresser, and crossed his arms over his chest, forcing the teen back. “So talk. What do you want?”

Akira wasn’t about to be dissuaded though as he moved his hand up to wrap around Iwai’s neck, closing the distance once again. “I’d like to propose a partnership.”

“Between you and me?”

“Technically between you and the Phantom Thieves, but if you would prefer to focus on me that’s just fine,” as he spoke, Akira’s fingers traced gentle circles against Iwai’s skin, forcing another shiver.

“And why would I want to partner with you, you do realized I’m supposed to be hunting you right?” Iwai spoke through clenched teeth.

“That’s exactly why. You are a man who believes in punishing criminals and righting wrongs, and we believe in the same. Our methods are just more effective. Help us identify people who deserved to be punished, who are taking advantage of your system. Help us make the world a better place, one asshole at a time.”

It was a tempting offer. “How do you know I’m not one of those assholes? Hm? I could be leading you into a trap of my own.”

Akira laughed. “I’ve seen inside your heart Iwai, you can’t fool me. I know the kind of man you are.”

Iwai scoffed. “Right. Does that little ‘ability’ of yours have anything to do with how you trigger these so called ‘changes of heart’.”

“Trade secrets,” Akira hummed, winking at him. “But you do good by us and maybe, just maybe, I’ll let you in on it.”

“This all sounds real tempting, it really does. And I believe in what you’re doing. But I fail to see what I’m getting out of this deal.”

That wicked look that Akira pulled off too well was back. “I was waiting for you to ask that.”

Iwai’s brow arched up and he was about to ask what that meant. When the young thief slid back across the bed, taking the blankets with him. His hands slid down as well, coming to a rest at the waistband of Iwai’s boxers. He had his answer.

The Joker, really a fitting name, looked up at him with hungry eyes, before hooking his gloved fingers in the elastic and pulling them down just far enough to reveal Iwai’s flaccid cock.

“Don’t you da-,” the words caught in his throat when a warm, wet tongue traced its way from base to tip and back. He looked down to see Akira’s face was now barely an inch from his dick. He made the mistake of looking into those molten lead eyes as Akira’s pink tongue peeked out and lapped gently at the tip. It really had been too long since he’d had any kind of release as he could feel himself getting hard just from those simple touches.

“I know you’re a man with needs, I am too,” Akira breathed against him, taking a moment to wrap his gloved fingers around Iwai’s now half hard cock. “So if you agree to our little deal, I can see to it that you get what you need, whenever, wherever, and however you want it.”

“I, I can’t agreed to something like that.” Iwai insisted, ashamed of the part of him that found that to be a wonderful idea. He’d be lying if he said that Akira wasn’t attractive. “You’re just a kid.”

Akira’s fingers began to stroke slowly up and down his dick. “If you or one of the other detectives caught me and brought me in, what do you think they would charge me as? A minor or an adult?”

He had a point there. “That doesn't change anything.”

Iwai regretted those words the moment they left him. A mixture of hurt and determination made its way to Akira’s face and before he had a chance to say or do anything the warm wetness of Akira’s mouth had engulf his cock. It slid slowly down to the base, taking him all of the way in before sliding back up.

“Oh, fuck,” He breathed, dick going rock hard in a matter of seconds.

Akira smiled around him, clearly proud of himself for the response he’d earned. Spurred on by Iwai’s hardness, the Phantom Thief began to bob his head in earnest. The first half of Iwai’s dick was treated to the gentle sucking movements of Akira’s mouth and the bottom half stroked in time with Akira’s hand.

The saliva he left behind leaked down, wetting the gloves and allowing them so slide over his skin even easier. The blow job was messy and perfect. The heat in his stomach and the need in his soul overrode Iwai’s reason at last and he gave in to the pleasure that Akira was so eagerly offering to him.

He could hear Akira moaning softly around his dick as he worked and those sounds only intensified when he grabbed a handful of his messy black hair. It was just as soft as he imagined and it was so easy to tangle his fingers into and grip tight. He pulled at it, pulling Akira completely off his dick. That earned him a desperate moan that shook him to his very core. The look on Akira’s face alone was almost too much to take.

His lips were swollen and red and shiny with saliva. His pale skin was flushed a desperate red and his eyes, God, his eyes were practically begging Iwai to flip him over and have his way with him. It was almost unfathomable that someone could looks so alluring. Luckily, he didn’t have a chance to give in to the things those eyes were begging him for because Akira went back to his original task. 

The movements of his hands and mouth had picked up speed now and they were quickly working Iwai to his wits end. He had his head tipped back against the wall, curses falling from his lips as he felt his climax nearing. Then suddenly Akira twisted his wrist, pulled his hand away, and swallowed Iwai whole once again. The shock of  it ripped through the last of his restraint, and he came with a low groan inside Akira’s mouth.

Iwai was breathing heavily and coming down from his high when Akira sat up, licking his lips like a pampered cat. He smiled at Iwai and leaned forward to press a quick, surprisingly chaste, kiss to his lips. Then he got up to stand beside the bed and wiped his glove off on the blankets. “I’ll take that as your acceptance of our deal. I look forward to hearing from you in the future, for any reason.” 

As Iwai was gathering his thoughts to respond, the room was suddenly plunged into blackness. In a panic, he fumbled to turn his lamb back on, but by the time he’d managed to press the switch on it, Akira was gone. He sighed and lay back on his bed, running a hand through his short, sweaty hair. 

The sound of his phone vibrating on his dresser startled him and he quickly lunged for it. He’d received a new text message that contained only two words: Anytime, Anywhere. It was what Akira had told him earlier about what he would be getting out of this deal. Silently making up his mind, Iwai set his phone aside and closed his eyes. His life was about to get a lot more complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might add more later, I might not... We'll see.  
> I hope you enjoyed it.


	4. Chapter 4

Ever since Akira broke into his home, Iwai felt like he was seeing him everywhere. He had no idea how he hadn’t noticed it before, but now there was no way he couldn’t. Akira had the people of the people of tokyo in the palm of his hands and no-one was the wiser. To them he was just some high school kid bumming around the city with his friends, or working hard at his part time job. It was the perfect disguise, hiding in plain sight.

What Iwai didn’t understand was how the teen had time for it all. Not only did he go to school, but he also had multiple part time jobs. He worked at the flower shop one day, then the next he was helping a politician with his campaign, and after that he was back at Leblanc helping out Sojiro. If he wasn’t working, he was out with friends, seeing movies, going to art galleries, or just being a shoulder they could lean on when their problems became too much. To be honest, even after the events of that night, Iwai had trouble believing that Akira was also Joker, the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Sometimes he thought that maybe it had all just been some fucked up dream.

There was also the fact that Akira always caught his gaze when they crossed paths and when he did he would smile. Not a normal smile like he gave everyone else around him, no, it was that teasing grin that dripped with hunger and malic. Sometimes it was so brief that Iwai would wonder if he had imagined it, but the mischievous glint in Akira’s dark eyes would remain long after his smile returned to normal.

Whenever that happened, whenever their eyes met for the briefest of seconds, Iwai would think of that text message, the one reminding him of the terms of their agreement. He should delete it, he told himself that every time he looked at it, but after a week it was still there. It could be dangerous to have if shit ever hit the fan, but, and he was ashamed to admit this, every time he looked at it he remembered the way Akira’s eager lips had wrapped around him. His spank bank had been uncommonly full of thoughts that got him going lately, and after every session he felt the need to bath himself in bleach. Akira was a high schooler, as much as he didn’t behave like one.

Today though, it wasn’t coincidence that he’d come across the raven-haired youth, today he’d sought him out. He’d come across a case that he wanted The Phantom Thieves to take a look at. His fingers tapped on the manila case file as he sipped at his coffee, this time sitting at one of Leblanc’s small booths. Akira was working with Sojiro tonight, helping his get the shop ready to close up for the night. He wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with the old man there, not sure if he was aware of just who he had working for him.

Iwai got his answer when Akira tapped Sojiro on the should and whispered to him, “Hey, why don’t you head home? Futaba’s probably waiting for you and I can finish up hear.”

Sojiro lifted a brow. “You’re sure you’ll be alright?”

“Positive,” Akira smiled sweetly, “Besides, it’ll be good experience, don’t you think?”

“You’ve got a point,” Sojiro said, rubbing at his neck. “Well, alright, just make sure not to burn the place down.”

“It’s a promise!” Akira laughed as the older man gathered his things and headed towards the door.

Sojiro paused at Iwai’s table on his way out. “Don’t give him too much trouble, alright? He’s got school in the morning.”

Iwai nodded at him after after taking another drink. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Sojiro eyed him for a minute, almost as if he could see the guilt that was gnawing away at the other man's soul, then he shrugged and headed for the door. “Have a good night,” He called out before the door shut beside him.

Once he was gone, Akira’s demeanor shifted entirely. He moved quickly around the counter before flopping down into the booth opposite of Iwai. His cat came down to join him, climbing up onto the booth so that it could stare Iwai down from across the table.

“Looks like you’ve got a job for us,” Akira purred, dark eyes sweeping over Iwai before settling on the folder.

“If you think you can handle it,” Iwai replied quickly, refusing to let that gaze get to him as he slid the folder over.

Taking the case, Akira sat up straight, much more serious as he flipped it open. He carefully looked over the contents that Iwai knew to well. It was full of photos of mutilated young children and dozens of missing persons information. Human trafficking was a subject he loathed, especially considering that he’d adopted his son after saving him from one such operation. The major crimes team hadn’t made much headway with this one, especially with the pressure being put on catching the Phantom Thieves instead. He hoped Akira and his team could accomplish what the police couldn’t.

The cat made an agitated meow, and the young man nodded in what looked to be agreement. “This is awful,” he whispered, “How long have you guys been working on this?”

Iwai sighed, “ Two months, and we suspect that they have been operating far longer than that, they seem experienced so it’s only now that we are starting to pick up on their pattern. It seems they like to brand their... merchandise.”

Akira nodded, flipping through the photos’ again. “Any idea who’s behind it?”

“We have a few theories, nothing concrete, of course. But it should all be in there.”

“Do you need this back?”

Iwai shook his head. “It should be fine, besides, everyone’s focus is being pushed to another, far less subtle group.”

A small smile tugged at the Phantom Thief’s lips and he closed the folder before holding it out to the cat. “Take this to Oracle. Once she has had the chance to look it over we can go over this with everyone else.”

The cat meowed again, before biting down on the folder, and carrying it over to the door. Iwai watched in amazement as it hopped down, trotted over to the door and managed to open it before disappearing outside. Akira seemed used to it and sighed as he stood to move over and close the door.

“That cat is not normal,” Iwai muttered more to himself than anything.

Akira chuckled. “He’d be angry if he heard you calling him a cat.”

“If he’s not a cat, then what is he?”

“Hell if I know,” Akira shrugged sitting down next to Iwai his time. “He swears he’s human, but we’ll see.”

Iwai nodded slowly, sliding back on the booth seat until he was up against the wall with a little more space between them. “I’m not going to pretend to understand how that would work.”

The young man shrugged again and closed the distance between them once again. “Enough about Morgana, let's talk about your payment.”

“Right, I haven’t paid for my coffee yet,” Iwai had known something like this would likely happen, but once again he was unprepared for Akira’s boldness.

“It’s on me,” Akira leaned up to purr in his ear, soft lips brushing against his skin.

It sent a shiver down Iwai’s spine and filled his mind with thoughts of what it would be like to lick that bitter coffee off of Akira’s pale skin. He shook his head to clear his mind and finished the last of his coffee. “I should head home, it's late and you have school.”

From the corner of his eyes, he could see Akira's lips pull turn down for a moment. Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting this kind of response, and Iwai was proud of himself for not giving in. Akira was silent for a moment then his hands slid around Iwai’s neck. “If you’re so worried about me getting enough sleep, why don’t you take me to bed?”

Those tempting thoughts returned, the idea of Akira sprawled out below him, slender fingers twisting at the bedding. The longer he stayed the weaker his resolve became and he was at danger of giving in to the wants of his body and of the far too young man. “Get up then,” he barked and much to his relief, the boy did as he was told, clearly thinking he had won.

Once Akira had slid out of the booth,  Iwai moved to follow. He gave the young man a smile as he stood. “You have yourself a good night,” he said as he walked quickly towards the door. Escaping through it before the young man had a chance to stop him. He did make the mistake of looking back though and the look of shock and confusion Akira had was like a slap to the face. It was all the more reason for him to leave, or so he told himself. A young kid like Akira shouldn’t be getting himself bogged down with an old man like him.

Akira was not only young and attractive, he was extremely charismatic. He could have his pick of his litter, and soon he would realize that he’d made a mistake. That this was all just some fleeting infatuation and the faster it faded, the better.


	5. Chapter 5

A week had passed before Iwai knew it. The Phantom thieves were silent as usual after a ‘change of heart’ and he hadn’t heard anything from Akira. He figured that was for the best though, and while he had considered stopping by the cafe to see if they had made any progress on the case he’d given them, he always decided against it. Giving them, Akira, space seemed like the best idea. It definitely wasn’t because he couldn’t get that hurt look out of his mind or rid himself of the guilt it caused.

To be honest, he had avoided every place that he now associated with the teen. He spent all of his time at home or at work, not wanting to risk running into him somewhere. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the teen, Akira certainly knew how to avoid causing a scene, it was that he didn’t trust himself. While he continued to tell himself that he was doing the right thing, there were a few parts of him that strongly disagreed. He wanted to have dealt with himself properly and be rid of any unnecessary thoughts or feelings before he faced the young man again.

That goal though made focusing on work difficult though. The chief wanted him focusing on catching the Phantom Thieves and thinking of anything related to the Phantom Thieves always led to thinking of their enigmatic leader. It was torture to say the least. So instead he’d spent a lot of time at the shooting range.

The feel of cold metal in his hand grounded him and locked out any unnecessary thoughts. You couldn’t think about stupid things when you had a gun in your hand and a target to hit. This is what he told himself as he went through clip after clip. The problem with that thinking though was that the moment he was done, had cleaned his gun and put it away, those thoughts he’d been avoiding would come rushing back. His escape was only temporary.

But that was only at work. It was much easier to distract himself when he was at home. His house had never been so clean and organized, or so Kaoru said. Since he’d started trying to spend more time at home, his son had gotten more and more suspicious, constantly needling him about how he was doing. When he’d told Kaoru he just wanted to spend more time with him, the boy had given him a suspicious look. But he left Iwai be after that, probably figuring that he would find out when the time came.

Iwai hated lying to him, he did it enough already, but he really couldn’t think of a way to broach the subject. How could he explain to his son that he got his dick sucked by a kid his age, nearly slept with him, and now couldn’t stop thinking about him unless he was doing some kind of menial labor. That was definitely a conversation he would rather die than have. So for now he stayed quiet and was grateful for his son’s patience.

Today he was doing some of the dishes, trying to make sure he stayed up to speed with them when Kaoru came home. He was later than usual, but he had texted Iwai and told him that he was getting dinner with friends. Kaoru gave him a smile as he came in, telling Iwai that he would be in his room working on homework, but he paused in the doorway to his room and turned back. “Oh, I almost forgot. Kurusu-kun says ‘hi’.”

The cup in Iwai’s hand slipped from his hands and was only seconds away from crashing into the counter-top when he managed to catch it. “Uh, what? Wh-who?”

Kaoru’s brow arched suspiciously. “He works at that curry and coffee shop you told me about. My friends and I decided to give it a try and when he found out you were my dad he told me to say ‘hi’ to you for him since you haven’t been there in a while and they were starting to worry something happened to you.”

“O-oh, yeah, huh. I guess it has been,” Iwai murmured, trying to calm his frenzied heartbeat. “He, uh, he didn’t say anything else to you, did he?”

“Not really,” Kaoru shrugged. “He was working after all. Plus, I think his girlfriend was there so why would he spend his time talking with a bunch of guys he barely knows?”

Girlfriend. It was like a slap to the face. But it’s what he’d wanted, right? For Akira to move on and find someone better suited to him, someone closer to his ages. He just hadn’t expected it to happen so fast, that was all. Yeah, he wasn’t upset, he was just surprised. Iwai gathered himself and forced a laugh. “Yeah, I guess you’ve got a point there. Sorry bout the third degree, I was just a little surprised.”

It didn’t look like Kaoru quite bought that. He looked concerned again, like he wanted to try asking his dad about what was really going on, but he just sighed in defeat, as if he’d already worked out how the conversation would go in his head. “Sure, I guess… I’ll be in my room if you need me.”

Iwai just nodded and watched him go, not sure of what to say without confessing everything. Sometimes silence was the best option, even if it wasn’t what his son wanted.

Alone once again, Iwai finished the dishes and then slowly began to wander through his house. Everything was clean and there was nothing more for him to do, but he couldn’t relax. He kept thinking of what Kaoru had told him, about Akira’s girlfriend. While it was the result he had been hoping for but god, did the very idea of it bother him. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he was jealous.

He needed a drink; a night to wallow in his self-imposed misery before moving on. After all, being productive clearly wasn’t making a difference. So instead of continuing to trudge around his house like a forlorn prisoner, he grabbed his coat and pulled on a pair of boots before heading to the door. He paused in the entrance way, making sure he had his wallet as he called out to his son. “I’m heading out for a bit. Call me if you need anything.”

Kaoru called out a muffled ‘see you later’ before Iwai headed out the door.

Since he was planning on drinking, Iwai left his car and took the train instead. He decided to visit Shinjuku since there was a good amount of bars in the area that he could check out. It had been a while since he went out drinking like this and he wasn't sure where the best place would be.

He roamed the streets for a few minutes after he arrived scouting out places. He ended up deciding on a quiet looking spot called “The Crossroads”. It was one of the only bars that didn’t have someone yelling at him to come in. He’d never been a fan of crowds and considering his mood they seemed like a bad idea.

However the last thing he’d expected to see was Akira sitting beside dark haired older woman at the bar. The kid really had a type it seemed. He froze in the doorway when he noticed them and was just about to escape when Akira noticed him. His gray eyes went wide for a moment before that innocent smile of his made its way to his face.

“Munehisa-san! What a surprise,” Akira gushed and the woman turned to look at him, her gaze piercing. “Ohya-san! This is a friend of mine! He knows a lot about the Phantom Thieves as well. I’m sure it must be very boring just using what I have to say for your articles, maybe he can help.”

In a matter of seconds, the woman had her business card out for him. “I never would have pegged someone like you for a supporter of the Phantom Thieves. Mind sharing what you know?”

Iwai was honestly having trouble processing what was going on. What was Akira doing with a reporter? Why we was he telling her that he had information on the Phantom Thieves? He glanced past her to look at Akira again. The teens smile was gone and his gaze was challenging as he waited for Iwai to speak. 

The detectives hands balled into fists at his side. He should have just stayed home. After all, there was no escaping Akira. “I don’t give a shit about the Phantom Thieves, any of them, all I care about is bad people getting what's coming to them.”

Ohya looked surprised by his statement, but Akira, Akira looked like he’d been slapped in the face. For a moment at least, but then that same look from Leblanc returned to his face and Iwai wanted nothing more than to shoot himself right then and there. He’d meant for it to hurt when he said it, meant to drive the kid off at last, but god how he hated that look.

Before anything more could be said or done, he turned and disappeared out the door. He dove into the crowds of people filling the streets and headed for the station. It was time to go home and try and forget this had ever happened.

He was nearly to the station when he felt slender hands wrap around his arm, tugging him into a dark alleyway. Once out of the crowd, he spun on his supposed attacker, his fist connecting with the side of their face. It was only after he pulled back for another hit that Iwai realized just who it was.

Akira’s hand slowly rose to his face, pressing against where he’d been hit as he stared at Iwai in shock. “Why?”

“I, you, I didn’t-” Iwai stammered trying to explain that he didn’t know it was him until it was too late, but Akira continued.

“Why are you doing this? Is it because we haven’t solved the case you gave us? We’re working on it, I promise!”

He wasn’t sure what to say to that, so instead he let loose the frustration he’d been holding in since this all began. “Why am I doing this? Why are  _ you _ doing this? I thought you and your people believed in justice and yet here you are! Do you get off on forcing yourself on to people who want nothing to do with you? On forcing people to break the law? Wouldn’t you punish people who do the things you’re trying to force me into? Is that what you do, huh? Make people into criminals so you can guiltlessly get rid of them? You fucking disgust me.”

Akira’s gray eyes looked like they were on the verge of tears as he shook his head. “N-no! I never…”

“You never what?” Iwai spat, unable to stop himself. “You never meant anything with this little fucking act of your? You’ve got so many fucking people fooled, and I, I almost believed that a kid like you could be interested in someone like me. Like that’s possible. Go play with someone else because if I ever see you again, I will take you down to the station and put you away where you belong.”

As the first tear escaped, rolling down his injured cheek, Akira turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Iwai alone with his regrets.


	6. Chapter 6

Iwai’s days passed in silence. After his last encounter with Akira, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He’d gone from near constant activity to doing barely anything at all. All he wanted to do was crawl under a rock and never come out again. He couldn’t believe what he’d done. That wasn’t how he’d wanted to end things between them. All he’d wanted to do was talk calmly, to explain why there couldn’t be anything between them, why he was glad that Akira had moved on. But he’d done nothing of the sort.

Instead he’d yelled, he’d let his anger get the better of him once again. He’d made Akira cry. That thought alone was enough to keep him awake at night as his guilt gnawed away at him. This guilt was nothing like he’d felt before, and there was no escaping from it. It ate away at his mind every moment of the day and left him useless. All he could think about was what he’d done. How could he say those things? He didn't believe them, well most of them. He’d been telling the truth when he’d said he didn’t think Akira could be attracted to someone like him. That didn’t make him feel any less like shit though.

And of course, Kaoru had noticed the sudden shift in his behavior. Iwai had managed to put off talking about it so far, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could avoid the subject. It seemed like his son was really starting to worry about him, so either he needed to get his act together, or confess what was going on. He was hoping that he would manage the former soon.

So when he got a message from an unknown sender, he feared that all of his progress was about to be undone. He’d considered not looking at the message and just deleting it, but his curiosity got the better of him.

_ It will be done soon. _

That was all it said and to be honest, he wasn’t sure who it was or what it was about, so he replied.

_ Who is this? I think you have the  wrong number. _

_ I do not have the wrong number, Munehisa Iwai. I am Oracle. The job you have given us is soon to be finished. Our leader is seeing to the calling card himself.  _

The reply was instantaneous and he sighed as he read it. He couldn’t help but worry about Akira, the people he’d sent them after were very dangerous after all.

_ Don’t worry. He’ll be fine, even if he is being irrational right now. _

Iwai was surprised by the next message and he glanced around his living room despite knowing he was alone before replying.

_ Why are you telling me this? _

_ You seemed worried. _

Once again, Iwai glanced around, this time actually getting up to check his home. But there was no one and when he tried to ask how she knew, his message failed to send.

Iwai growled in frustration and threw his phone onto his bed. He’d been right. That definitely helped with his plan of getting over Akira because now he was worried. He was worried that Akira was going to do something stupid. And there was nothing he could do about it. He still had no idea how what they didn’t worked. What he did know though was that whomever was responsible would be coming forward to confess their crimes soon, and that with this newest calling card, the station would be a mess tomorrow. So he might as well try and get some sleep before things got hectic again.

***

When Iwai got into the station he was surprised to see it was running like normal. There was no calling card panic to speak of. When he thought about it, he hadn't seen anything about it online either. When he checked with one of the other detectives on his team to see if he’d missed anything, they shook their head and sighed. Meaning whatever calling card Akira had opted for this time, it hadn’t been a public one. 

That knowledge only made his nerves spike. What had Oracle meant when she’d said that Akira was acting irrationally? Was it because of what he’d said? God, he hoped not. The one thing he did know was that he wasn’t going to have the workload he’d been expecting, meaning there was nothing to distract him from his concern.

So despite his best attempts to pay attention to the work he did have weren't enough to keep his attention away from his phone for long. He jumped at every notification, scrambling to see if was from Oracle or Akira. But it never was, it was emails or messages from Kaoru, and he found himself growing antsy.

By the time work was over, his nerves were completely shot. He felt like he’d been awake for a week straight and all he wanted to do was sleep. He couldn't worry if he was asleep.

When he climbed into his car, he tossed his phone onto his passenger seat and rested his head on his steering wheel. He had no right to be this worried, not after all the things he’d said. Was this Oracle’s way of getting back at him for upsetting Akira? Stressing him into an early grave. If it was, it was working. He reminded himself for the millionth time that there was nothing he could do. So maybe sleep was his best bet right now. After all, it usually took a while for the crook to confess and there was no guarantee that the Phantom Thieves would be contacting him again. He was just going to have to wait and hope for the best.

With a new found determination, Iwai started his car, only to jump and curse when his phone began to ring.

Another unknown number. He eyed it warily before picking it up. “Hello?”

“Is this Iwai?” A woman asked. She didn’t sound like the one from the other day, her voice was softer.

“It is,” he answered slowly “Who is this?”

“Doctor Takemi, at the Takemi Medical Clinic in Yongen-Jaya.”

“Oh,” he was instantly reminded that Leblanc was also in Yongen-Jaya, but prayed it was a coincidence. “Is there something I can help you with, Doctor?

“Do you know Kurusu Akira?”

“I, I do. Is everything okay?” his heart had settled in his stomach like a rock.

She sighed. “I wish I could say it was. Do you know… what he does?”

Was this woman a part of the Phantom Thieves? “I do. Why? What’s going on?”

She sighed again. “Well, Akira was hurt, during whatever it is they do. I don’t think anyone else knows and he doesn’t want me to call his guardian. He mentioned your name just before he fell asleep and I found your card in his pocket.”

“You, you want to know if I can come get him.”

“Well, my clinic isn’t exactly designed for overnight stays and if he don’t want to go home, I figure he has his reasons.”

Iwai sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This is not what he’d been expecting. “Okay, I’m just leaving work anyway, so I’ll be right over.”

Takemi thanked him and rattled off the directions to her clinic before hanging up and leaving him in silence. His mind was running a mile a minute as he started his car and headed out. What could have happened? It must not have been too bad if he hadn’t gone to an actual hospital, but Takemi had sounded worried.

With those thoughts racing through his head, he may have driven a little faster than was legal in his rush to get to the clinic. When he did get there, he had to admit he was a little surprised. It was a lot more shady than he’d expected, and the Doctor’s appearance didn’t help that impression. He eyed the punk woman in a lab coat warily as he made his way to where she stood beside the door. 

“Are you Takemi?”

She nodded. “Iwai?” he nodded back and she gave him a small smile. “Come one, he’s still asleep in the back.”

She lead him into the clinic, through the empty waiting room and into the small examination room. Akira was sound asleep on the examination table and Iwai couldn’t help but frown out the sight. The bruise on the teens cheek from where he’d hit him was still there, though faded, but it was shadowed by the other cuts and bruises that marred his face. 

Iwai’s throat felt tight as he tried to still his anger. It was at moments like this that the Yakuza cover he’d had for so long returned to him naturally. He wanted to put whoever had done this in the ground, very, very slowly.

“I’ve never seen him like this,” Takemi murmured next to him.”Sure, he buys a lot of medication, but I’ve never actually seen him hurt like this. Those aren’t even the worst of it though.”

“What do you mean?” Iwai asked, watching as she moved to sit on the edge of the table.

Carefully, she lifted Akira’s shirt and exposed the burn between his shoulder blades. Iwai recognized the symbol immediately and finally understood what Oracle had meant about the calling card and Akira’s behavior. Akira had been the calling card, or at the very least he had delivered it personally

“You fucking idiot,” He growled at the sleeping boy, wanting nothing more than to punch something at that moment.

The doctor arched a questioning brow, but didn’t push the subject as she reached for a bandage. “I’ve treated it the best I could and I was letting the wound breath and the antibiotics did their work, but now that you’re here I’ll go ahead and wrap it. I can give you some spare bandages and antibiotic cream to take with you. Just make sure he keeps it clean no matter what. He may need help with that because of where it is, but we have to make sure we eliminate any chance of infection.”

Iwai nodded along as she spoke and took note of how she applied the bandages so that he could do it in the future if he needed to. He hoped he wouldn’t. 

When she was finished, Takemi stood and gently tapped her fingers against Akira’s bruised cheek. “Okay, my little guinea pig, it’s time for you to wake up.”

Akira stirred and grumbled, before turning his face the other way and seemingly going back to sleep.

Tameki huffed and rested her hands on her hips. “Sorry, he’s pretty much been out since he got here.”

Iwai shook his head. “It’s fine, I imagine he must be exhausted from whatever it was he went through. Help me sit him up and I’ll carry him out.”

Working together, the two of them carefully moved them so that he was sitting up on the table with his legs dangling off the side. Iwai gently scooped him up then. He draped on of Akira’s arms over his shoulder then put his around the young man's lower back and under his knees. Once he was certain his hold was secure, he followed Takemi out of the clinic and down to his car.

He laid Akira down in the back seat, letting him lay on his side so he wasn’t putting too much pressure on the burn. When Akira was settled, Takemi handed him a bag of the supplies she’d mentioned.

“There’s also some pain medication in there for him, he’ll probably need it when he wakes up. Oh, I also put my card in there, that way you have it if you think he needs anything else.”

“Thank you. I’ll see to it that he makes a full recovery.”

With that they said their farewells and parted ways, Tameki heading back into her clinic and Iwai beginning his drive home. He had no idea how he would explain this to Kaoru, or to Sojiro, but he was sure he would figure it out by the time he got home.


End file.
